January 30, 1902. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



311 



MISCELLANEOUS 

 SEASONABLE HINTS. 



Geraniums. 



As I remarked last week, this is no 

 I'iiiie to have a foot of your propagating 

 lied idle. If you have cuttings of the 

 \aiiegated or bronze or tricolor gerani- 

 um- now is a good time to put them 

 ill the sand, and there are months 

 niough ahead to grow a good plant. The 

 zonale type we much prefer to pot at 

 <incc when time into a 2-inch pot, for 

 yon need not lose 5 per cent that way, 

 and the}- make a much better plant than 

 when propagated in_the sand, and dis- 

 1 in bed as they have to be when rooted, 

 lint the types mentionea above do not 

 iiiot in the soil and pot as well and sure- 

 ly as in the sand. 



We also find the popular rose leaf and 

 tlie variegated Lady Plymouth and other 

 -cented geraniums more satisfactory 

 rooted in the propagating bed. The lit- 

 tle, compact growing, variegated Mme. 

 Salleroi increases in favor every year. 

 It makes a splendid edging to any bed 

 ^\here the color will harmonize, and I 

 don't know but what white and green 

 will harmonize with anything. I told 

 vnu not to put any cuttings of this va- 

 riety in the sand in the fall, but to lift 

 up some of the plants from the flower 

 yurden and keep in pots in a cool house. 

 Now is a good time to pull them to 

 |iieces for propagating, and they root 

 most easily. You don't want large, soft 

 grown plants of this useful variety. 

 Conipaet. little plants in 3-ineh pots are 

 all that is desired at bedding out time. 

 I'lit them now in the sand. 



Miscellaneous Plants. 



There is abundant room for exercise 

 III judgment in the time and quantity 

 III propagate of many of our common 

 Imt useful plants, and a weakness that 

 I have noticed with many beginners is 

 tn propagate large quantities of some 

 )ilants for the only reason "that they 

 rooted so quickly and nicely and it was 

 a pleasure to see them grow.'' Another 

 mil-take often made is that you propa- 

 gate too freely of several free growing, 

 soft wooded plants. You will find your 

 benches full of plants in April that you 

 cannot afford to shift again, and with- 

 out more space and more soil by selling 

 time they are worn out and not half as 

 desirable plants as those propagated two 

 months later, and grown quickly and 

 healthily on. On the other hand, don't 

 he too confident and careless and say. 

 Oh. there is lots' of time to propagate 

 this or that, unless you are sure you 

 have plenty of stock to propagate from. 

 Begin now to work up your stock of 

 coleuB and don't forget that for your or- 

 ders for bedding you want 97 out of 

 every 100 to consist of VerschafTeltii and 

 Golden Bedder, and the other three 

 whatever old Bill ,Jones prefers. Mealy 

 ling has of late years been a terrible 

 nuisance on coleus. If there is a chance 

 to clean them thoroughly it is when 

 you are making the cuttings. 



Heliotrope is one of the cheap plants 



that if pot bound gets shabby and rusty, 

 but it is time to put in some. 



Salvia splendens and its improved 

 forms is also better not propagated too 

 early, but if your stock is not large, 

 l>egin. 



Lemon verbena you never have too 

 large, and they root well now from the 

 young shoots of plants started into 

 growth a few weeks ago. 



Lantana is not a very quick grower 

 and needs propagating early. 



It is hardly necessary to say much 

 about chrysanthemums. If ybu could 

 propagate all your stock of these in the 

 month of Jlay it would be just the 

 thing, but you don't have stock enough 

 to do that, so you have to begin earlier. 

 Any variety that you are short of 

 should be handled at once, but if you 

 have abundance of stock then defer prop- 

 agating until March. 



The common white pyrethrum (fe- 

 verfew) quickly grows useless if propa- 

 gated too early and kept in ordinary 

 greenhouse temperature, but does not 

 multiply very quickly, so it's well to 

 liegin now. 



This is about as late as you can put in 

 fvichsia cuttings and make really good 

 thrifty plants of any size by the month 

 of May, so propagate all you want of 

 these now or within a week or two. 



There are two very common lowly lit- 

 tle plants that we never have enough of, 

 at any rate in the right condition. One 

 i- Lobelia erinus and gracilis and the 

 other the double form of sweet alysstini. 

 The sweet alyssum is a bedding plant, 

 but we use it mostly for veranda boxes 

 and vases. The lobelia is no bedding 

 plant, and only those who don't know 

 mir climate would use it for that pur- 

 ]i()se. but it is a pretty plant for vases, 

 boxes and baskets. Both of these plants 

 should lie propagated now freely, for it 

 takes some months to grow a plant large 

 enough to be effective when used, which 

 is what we want. 



There are other plants not necessary 

 for me to mention, but which will ap- 

 peal to you as now wanting to be in- 

 creased, and perhaps it's best to be on 

 the safe side and be in time, but use 

 judgment and don't get loaded up with 

 fast growing stuff like ageratura and 

 heliotrope, to be only good to throw 

 away before planting time. 



Seeds. 



It is early yet for the great majority 

 of seeds, but there are a few that should 

 lie sown without delay. 



Sow oannas. The seedlings make 

 splendid plants and mostly come true 

 from seed. If you buy seed saved from 

 Tarry town they would produce Tarry- 

 town, but you are not likely to get seeds 

 of that wonderful variety. Sow early 

 and you will have strong plants ready tu 

 bloom by middle of May. 



Verbena should now be sown, and Cen- 

 tanrea gymnocarpa. Lophospermum, 



you want good big vines and can't get 

 them too early. 



Now there is a lot of so-called hardy 

 annuals, etc., that it is much too early 

 to sow and would be only in your way. I 

 allude to balsams, asters, zinnias, mari- 

 golds, etc. 



Cannas. 



Have you looked over your canna 

 roots of late? Beneath a bench where 

 very little drip occurs ours are doing 

 well, but it is wise to look them over, 

 and if the eyes are too active and show- 

 ing growth "just move the plants along. 

 If "there is any variety you are short of 

 you can cut up and start at once, and 

 before spring you can divide again, but 

 if you have plenty of any variety it is 

 several weeks before you need start 

 them. William Scott. 



LILY OF THE VALLEY. 



An inquiry reaches me from a grower 

 whom we will call "E. B.," asking the 

 following: "How long valley must be 

 kept in cold stojage to make the best 

 stock ?" 



i have quoted the wording of the in- 

 quiry precisely as it was received, and 

 it is rather ambiguous. By "stock" is 

 doubtless meant flowers, and I take it 

 that at this time of year is meant how 

 many weeks from time of receiving the 

 imported stock before you can begin to 

 force. If it was meant how many weeks 

 of cold storage in summer months 

 should elapse before forcing the answer 

 would be simple, because it is easier to 

 keep the roots in good condition up to 

 July than it is to November. 



The vallev roots usually arrive from 

 10th to 15th of November. If imme- 

 diately unpacked, placed in boxes of 

 earth.' a little soil or moss between each 

 bunch of 25. and an inch of earth over 

 the pijis. then place the boxes out_ of 

 doors, protecting them from heavy rains. 

 Those we don't intend to force before 

 March and April we would cover with 

 2 or 3 inches of leaves or stable litter. 

 On January 1 and thereabouts you can 

 bring in the first batch, and if the pips 

 are what they should be and your condi- 

 tions for forcing are correct, you will 

 be certain to get 90 per cent of good 

 flowers, as good a spike of flowers as at 

 any time of year excepting that the 

 foliage is a little shy. Every suceeding 

 batch will give you more leaves. 



I have put tlie'date January 1 as a good 

 safe date, because I remember some 12 

 years ago that I had a thousand pips 

 forced for New Year's and not more than 

 25 per cent were a failure, but we have 

 not always been so successful as that at 

 such an early date, but when brought in 

 from outside about January 1 there is 

 no fear of failure. 



I should add that when unpacking we 

 dip the bunches for a moment or two in 

 a tub of water, then- the soil in which 

 you pack the bunches need not be wa- 

 tered. Whether the pips should be frozen 

 before being forced is something I can- 

 not answer. My opinion is that it is not 

 essential. Although it is a perfectly 

 hardy plant, in the unnatural treat- 

 ment we subject them to no very hard 

 freezing should be allowed, that is cer- 

 tain, and whether any is desirable I 

 doubt. 



I have said nothing about their treat- 

 ment while forcing because that is not 

 the question, although on that depends 

 evervthinff. W. S. 



